R.I.P. Dolly Parton

Country singer and American icon Dolly Parton has passed away, according to a report by The New York Times. She was 80 years old.

Parton’s nephew Bryan Seaver confirmed the news in a video posted to Parton’s Instagram account, though no cause of death has been provided as of publication.

“I have imagined the heaviness of this moment but haven’t truly felt it until now,” Seaver shared. “It is an honor that is mixed with absolute pride and great sadness. But sadness lies with us, not with Dolly.”

Parton was frequently referred to as the “Queen of Country.” Her reputation and legacy extended from decades of iconic hit songs and records, award-winning acting roles, a dedication to philanthropy, and even her own theme park. Her larger-than-life presence, glitz, and famously kind spirit made her beloved by many.

Parton was born in Pittman Center, Tenn., in 1946, the fourth of 12 children in a one-room cabin. She would detail these early parts of her life in songs like “Coat of Many Colors” and “In the Good Old Days (When Times Were Bad).” Parton’s mother was one of her earliest musical influences, often singing Appalachian folk ballads to her children. As a child, Parton began performing on local radio and television programs in Tennessee. She released her first single, “Puppy Love,” in 1959 when she was just 13 years old. That same year, she performed at the historic Grand Ole Opry, where she was introduced by Johnny Cash.

Her earliest successes came as a songwriter. Working with her uncle Buck Owens, she penned numerous hits throughout the 1960s that were recorded by Hank Williams Jr., Bill Phillips, and Kitty Wells. At 19 years old, she signed to Monument Records, where she was initially positioned as a “bubblegum pop” singer, to little success.

Even while recording pop music, Parton’s heart was with country music. She eventually got her big break when she landed a regular spot on The Porter Wagoner Show, both on TV and as part of his touring road show. From there, she was quickly signed to RCA Records in 1967.

Success didn’t come immediately. After a string of singles that failed to chart, Wagoner convinced Parton to record a cover of Jimmie Rodgers’ “Mule Skinner Blues,” which quickly rose to No. 3 on the charts. It was followed by her first No. 1 single, an original song by Parton called “Joshua.”

From there, Parton’s star quickly ascended with a string of Top 20 singles, including “Coat of Many Colors,” “Burning the Midnight Oil,” and several others. Her true breakthrough, though, came in 1973 with the release of her smash single “Jolene.” The song has since become an iconic part of the country music canon, covered by everyone from The White Stripes to Olivia Newton-John, Beyoncé, and numerous others. Parton claimed she wrote the song on the same day as her next smash hit, “I Will Always Love You.” The latter reached even greater heights when it was covered by Whitney Houston for The Bodyguard soundtrack.

Parton’s career only continued to rise as she expanded into film. She starred in the 1980 film 9 to 5 and also penned the movie’s theme song of the same name, which was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song. Parton would also star in films like 1984’s Rhinestone, 1989’s Steel Magnolias, and 1992’s Straight Talk.

Parton’s accolades are numerous. In her lifetime, she received 11 Grammy Awards, three Emmy Awards, six Golden Globes, a Tony Award, and two Academy Award nominations. She penned more than 3,000 songs, 25 of which topped the Billboard country music charts, and had 44 albums reach the Top 10 on the Country Albums chart. She was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1986, received the National Medal of Arts in 2004, and was given the Kennedy Center Honors in 2006. In 2019, The New York Times published a piece titled “Is There Anything We Can All Agree On? Yes: Dolly Parton.”

In 1986, she opened her Dollywood theme park and started the Dolly Parton Foundation. The latter kicked off decades of immense philanthropic work. The Dolly Parton Foundation oversees Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, a program that began in 1995 and provides free children’s books across the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, and Australia. As of 2026, the program has delivered books to more than 120 million children around the world and sends about 3 million books to children each month.

KEXP honored Dolly Parton with our "Six Degrees of Dolly Parton" programming in 2022.

Parton’s life was so immense that it’s hard to encapsulate it all. She was a beloved figure whose work, life, and goodwill transcended music and became a deep part of our modern Americana. Join us in honoring her life by revisiting some of our favorite songs below.